COVID-19

Contact Tracing is Key to Limiting Virus Spread in Nebraska

Published by Scott Stewart on Fri, 05/22/2020 - 2:06pm

Lincoln – To bring the coronavirus under heel, particularly as the measures that effectively closed Nebraska are lifted, public health agencies across the state will use a tried and true tool used for decades to help control infectious disease outbreaks.

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City of Omaha Outlines Current, Proposed Cuts

Published by Scott Stewart on Fri, 05/22/2020 - 5:00am

The City of Omaha and other Douglas County municipalities, along with advocates for rental assistance and South Omaha, are requesting that the Douglas County Board of Commissioners share a portion of federal relief funding related to COVID-19.

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One in Six Nebraska Businesses Fear Closing for Good

Published by Scott Stewart on Fri, 05/22/2020 - 4:00am

The coronavirus has hurt a vast majority of Nebraska’s businesses and about one in six of them are worried that it will force them to close their doors permanently.

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Iowa’s No-Bid Vendor Charged With Felony in Assault on Woman

Published by Scott Stewart on Thu, 05/21/2020 - 7:32am

Iowa City, Iowa – A long-time Republican donor and campaign vendor was awarded millions of dollars in no-bid contracts to supply personal protective equipment to Iowa’s executive branch despite facing a felony charge alleging that he brutally beat a woman.

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Iowa Rebuilds Protective Gear Stockpile After Deals With Unusual Sources

Published by Scott Stewart on Thu, 05/21/2020 - 7:32am

Iowa City, Iowa – Iowa has rebuilt its stockpile of personal protective equipment after a dire shortage that prompted the state to buy through unusual sources, including $7 million in contracts for gowns and goggles with a business known for making Republican campaign signs.

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1-Check App Now on Android

Published by Scott Stewart on Thu, 05/21/2020 - 7:15am

The University of Nebraska recently launched a new mobile app, 1-Check COVID, to help guide the screening of large groups of individuals concerned that they might have COVID-19 and to help first responders and other health care providers determine a person’s likelihood of carrying the disease.

Launched for iOS phones, that app now is available on Google Play for anyone on Android phones.

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Nebraska to Require Plans From Long-Term Care Centers

Published by Scott Stewart on Thu, 05/21/2020 - 3:00am

Nebraska will require long-term care centers to develop formal plans outlining how they’ll keep the coronavirus from spreading among the vulnerable residents who live in those facilities.

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Staffing Nursing Homes Was Already Hard Before COVID-19

Published by Scott Stewart on Thu, 05/21/2020 - 2:00am

Residents have fallen ill with the new coronavirus in both the Worcester, Massachusetts, nursing homes where Kwaku Tsibo Bondah works. Protective equipment is in short supply, he said, and many of his colleagues have tested positive or are calling in sick because they’re afraid to come to work.

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Regulators Sat on Complaint as Outbreak at Iowa Plant Spread

Published by Scott Stewart on Thu, 05/21/2020 - 12:00am

Iowa City, Iowa – Safety regulators declined to inspect an Iowa pork plant despite a complaint alleging workers were exposed to the coronavirus in crowded conditions – a decision that critics said allowed a burgeoning outbreak to grow unabated.

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At Home With COVID-19? Here Are Tips to Take Care of Yourself

Published by Scott Stewart on Thu, 05/21/2020 - 12:00am

Lincoln – If you have recently tested positive for COVID-19 or think you might have COVID-19, it’s likely you are recovering at home, isolating from others and caring for yourself.